Lance Armstrong's downfall is a striking example of what can go wrong in teams. The Jordan-Pippen-Rodman Chicago Bulls trio exemplifies "good" teamwork, standing in stark contrast to the team that surrounded the most celebrated cyclist of all time.

I loved Lance, I still respect Lance and I feel sad on many levels. It's kind of like he turned out to be my false hero. But do today's headlines negate all the races he won, and all the good he's done? I don't believe entirely.

In the past week, two American heroes passed away: One literally -- the other figuratively. Lance and Neil Armstrong were driven to excel. They both shared two sides of the American coin: individualism and team effort.

In a June letter to Armstrong, subsequently made public, the USADA said samples taken from the cyclist in 2009 and 2010 were "fully consistent with blood manipulation including EPO use and/or blood transfusions."